The Daily Telegraph - Saturday
Gary Lineker to get starring role in new BBC video game
THE BBC is to launch a video game starring Gary Lineker as it intensifies efforts to win over young audiences.
The corporation will release a game on Roblox, an online platform, featuring some of its biggest shows, including Match of the Day, Doctor Who and EastEnders.
TV stars including Gary Lineker, Louis Theroux, Zara McDermott and Ncuti Gatwa, who plays the 15th Doctor, will star in the online world.
It is the latest effort by the BBC to reach young viewers amid concerns they are increasingly defecting to streaming rivals such as Netflix, as well as social media apps including TikTok.
The crisis has taken on greater urgency amid questions over the future of the licence fee funding model, which is under review.
The game, called BBC Wonder Chase, will promote the BBC brand to 71 million daily users of Roblox, the majority of whom are children and teenagers.
The California-based immersive gaming platform, which enjoyed a boom during Covid lockdowns, allows users to programme and play games created by themselves or others.
Players will be able to complete minigames, collect iPlayer-branded coins, learn facts about nature and tackle obstacle courses. They will also be able to interact with friends and watch clips of BBC shows in a cinema area.
Patricia Hildalgo, BBC director of children’s and education, said: “We know Roblox is hugely popular with children and we’re giving them the chance to interact and play with their favourite CBBC shows and characters, and discover more to love from across the BBC.”
The game, built by Bristol-based developer Mobile Pie, highlights how traditional broadcasters are seeking to harness their existing intellectual property in new, immersive digital worlds.
The BBC will launch the game as an 18-month trial, with more programmes and personalities expected to be added in the coming months.
A spokesman said the corporation did not expect to require regulatory approval for the launch.